MTU to spend €480k on plagiarism-detection software 

MTU says the new system will help students and staff identify similarities between assessments, websites, published sources, and other submitted work

MTU previously recorded 274 students suspected of academic misconduct across its Cork and Kerry campuses since 2019. Picture: Denis Minihane

Munster Technological University (MTU) is to spend almost €500,000 on plagiarism-detection software designed to identify copied material in student assessments.

The university has awarded a six-year, €481,222 contract to US-based education technology firm Turnitin following a competition involving four tenders.

MTU said the system would allow students and lecturers to identify similarities between submitted assessments and material from public websites, subscription-based publications, and other student work.

The university said the service was intended to support learning and help enforce its policies on academic integrity and assessment breaches.

Turnitin was selected on March 30, and the contract was signed on April 22. The value of the tender is €481,222 excluding Vat, with no subcontracting involved.

The move comes as third-level institutions increase oversight of academic misconduct in response to the growth of generative artificial intelligence tools.

Reports published earlier this year found more than 500 students at higher-education institutions were found to have used AI in an unauthorised way in graded coursework during the 2024/25 academic year.

The figure is likely higher because several large universities, including University College Cork, University College Dublin, University of Limerick, Maynooth University, and Trinity College Dublin, did not record AI misuse separately from other forms of plagiarism.

The Higher Education Authority does not require colleges to separately record unauthorised AI use in coursework, although institutions remain responsible for protecting academic integrity.

The Irish Examiner previously reported the University of Galway identified 298 cases where AI was suspected to have been used by students to cheat in 2024.

MTU previously recorded 274 students suspected of academic misconduct across its Cork and Kerry campuses since 2019. The cases included plagiarism and the use of unauthorised material, such as notes or mobile phones, during examinations.

The new system is intended to help staff and students quickly identify similarities between work submitted for assessment and other material, including sources behind paywalls and earlier student submissions.